Islamic State Continues Their Destruction Of Historical Artifacts

The Lion of al-Lat in Palmyra, Syria, was destroyed by Islamic State militants, Syria's director of antiquities said. File photo by Mappo/Wikimedia

BBC: Islamic State militants 'destroy Palmyra statues'

The Islamic State group has published photographs of militants destroying what it says are artefacts looted from the ancient ruins of Palmyra in Syria.

Six statues are shown being hit with sledgehammers while a crowd looks on.

The jihadist group said the statues had been seized from a smuggler, who was pictured being whipped as a punishment.

Meanwhile, the UN's cultural agency has said antiquities plundered by IS from sites in Iraq and Syria have ended up with collectors in the UK.

Syria's antiquities director Maamoun Abdelkarim said on Thursday the IS group had destroyed a 2,000-year-old statue of a lion from the Palmyra ruins.

Mr Abdelkarim called the destruction of the three-metre (10ft) statue, known as the Lion of al-Lat, "the most serious crime [IS has] committed against Palmyra's heritage."

More News On The Islamic State Continuing Their Destruction of Historical Artifacts

Islamic State destroys priceless statues in ancient city of Palmyra -- Washington Post
Islamic State militants destroy Palmyra artifacts -- UPI
Isis: Islamic State militants publicly destroy smuggled Palmyran statues -- IBtimes
Islamic State takes sledgehammer to 'irreplaceable' ancient Palmyra ruins -- The Telegraph
Islamic State Militants Destroy Palmyra Statues -- Radio Free Europe
Isis: Islamic State militants publicly destroy smuggled Palmyran statues -- Times of Israel
ISIS Has Taken 'Cultural Cleansing' In Syria And Iraq To 'Unprecedented Levels': UN -- IBTimes